Editing Alanine (section)

===Free radical===
The [[deamination]] of an alanine molecule produces the [[Radical (chemistry)|free radical]] CH<sub>3</sub>C<sup>•</sup>HCO<sub>2</sub><sup>−</sup>. Deamination can be induced in solid or aqueous alanine by radiation that causes [[homolysis (chemistry)|homolytic cleavage]] of the carbon&ndash;nitrogen bond.<ref>{{cite journal | journal = [[J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem.]] | title = Transients and Stable Radical from the Deamination of α-Alanine | vauthors = Zagórski ZP, Sehested K | doi = 10.1007/BF02383729 | year = 1998 | volume = 232 | issue = 1–2 | pages = 139–41| bibcode = 1998JRNC..232..139Z | s2cid = 97855573 }}.</ref>

This property of alanine is used in [[dosimetry|dosimetric measurements]] in [[radiotherapy]].  When normal alanine is irradiated, the radiation causes certain alanine molecules to become free radicals, and, as these radicals are stable, the free radical content can later be measured by [[electron paramagnetic resonance]] in order to find out how much radiation the alanine was exposed to.<ref name=":1">{{cite book|title = Fundamentals of Ionizing Radiation Dosimetry| vauthors = Andreo P, Burns DT, Nahum AE, Seuntjens J, Attix FH |publisher = [[Wiley-VCH]] |year = 2017|isbn = 978-3-527-80823-6|edition = 2nd|location = Weinheim, Germany|pages = 547–556|oclc = 990023546|chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=nhknDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA547|chapter = Alanine Dosimetry}}</ref> This is considered to be a biologically relevant measure of the amount of radiation damage that living tissue would suffer under the same radiation exposure.<ref name=":1" /> Radiotherapy treatment plans can be delivered in test mode to alanine pellets, which can then be measured to check that the intended pattern of radiation dose is correctly delivered by the treatment system.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Biglin |first1=Emma R. |last2=Aitkenhead |first2=Adam H. |last3=Price |first3=Gareth J. |last4=Chadwick |first4=Amy L. |last5=Santina |first5=Elham |last6=Williams |first6=Kaye J. |last7=Kirkby |first7=Karen J. |date=2022-04-26 |title=A preclinical radiotherapy dosimetry audit using a realistic 3D printed murine phantom |journal=Scientific Reports |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=6826 |doi=10.1038/s41598-022-10895-5 |issn=2045-2322 |pmc=9042835 |pmid=35474242|bibcode=2022NatSR..12.6826B }}</ref>